In the predawn darkness at Richardson Park on the Fern Ridge Reservoir you can hear the crunch of gravel beneath bicycle tires, and the speed-dial clicking of a free wheel.

As the sky begins to brighten, the transition area comes to light. Filled with bicycles, two Bike Fridays await their turn.

Kent Anderson, our newest hire, plans to ride a Pocket Rocket on the leg of his short course ride.

Meanwhile, Chaowaroj Wanotayaroj, a student at the University of Oregon, plans to ride his tikit in his first triathlon ever.

Chaowaroj Wanotayaroj waits for the start of the swim with his mother.

In no time, the 7 a.m. start has arrived.

After the swim, it was time for the transition to the bike. First for Kent Anderson.

Time to get out of the wetsuit.

Get on the cycling jersey.Don't forget the socks.

And hit the road.

Next, Chaowaroj Wanotayaroj came in for his transition.

Time for a quick transition.

Get on the tikit.

Fight your way to the front.

Brave the traffic.

And go.

“The bike worked well,” Anderson said as he embarked on a 25-mile ride. “It was fantastic. When I got on the flat section, I really took off. There was a lot of satisfaction passing others on my Bike Friday.”

Chaowaroj Wanotayaroj said he knows the tikit isn’t the best choice for a 50-mile ride, but for his first triathlon he wanted something he was familiar with.

“It was fine,” he said. “And a lot of fun passing others on a small bike.”

Just Max is ok I’m from Thailand also. We don’t usually use nickname in place of firstname when writing it with lastname. So either just Max, or Chaowaroj Wanotayaroj. I’m not upset or anything, just a FYI.

For the record, I didn’t get a chance to pass many, but I enjoyed every moment of it when I got one

Now I want either a bigger chainring or an alfine 11 for my next (hopefully half-ironman) tri. Don’t wanna spend too much getting a new bike.